I Can’t Believe He’s Gone Scam on Facebook: Read This To Avoid This Scam
If you got the “Can’t Believe He’s Gone” Facebook scam message, don’t click the link. It takes you to a fake Facebook site, asking for your login. If you sign in, your account info goes to cybercriminals who might hijack or spam your friends with the same scam.
The scam uses fake obituaries that resembles legit news sources, such as the BBC, to trick users into clicking on malicious links. Clicking on the links takes you to a website that tries to get your personal info.
Exposing The “I Can’t Believe He’s Gone Scam”: How They Lure Unsuspecting Victims
The scam usually starts with a sad post from a friend saying, “I can’t believe he is gone. I’m gonna miss him so much.” It is followed by crying emojis and a link to another Facebook post. Usually, multiple people are tagged in the post. The post includes a link to what seems like a news article or video about the event. But when you click the link, it takes you to a fake page asking for your Facebook login.
If you enter your login details, scammers trick you into thinking you’re accessing news, but they’ve actually stolen your Facebook credentials using a clever trick called phishing.
What is the scammers goal
The scammers do this to make sure you are redirected to a site that is likely to generate the most profit from people fitting your profile.
Why is this scam effective
This scam is effective because it preys on people’s emotions and trust in social media platforms. Many people are more likely to believe a message from a friend than they are a stranger.
Victims Of The Facebook Scam Speak Out
Someone shared that scammers hacked their aunt’s Facebook, and now it’s sending out lots of ‘I can’t believe he’s gone’ posts. Others on Reddit have talked about scammers taking control of their accounts and sharing the harmful link after falling for it. Another person said ”Yeah when I first got it I clicked the link and it asked for info, I just assumed the article was behind a paywall. Sent a message to the friend who’d sent it and they had no idea what I was talking about. Been seeing it every day now, and this morning it was from the account of a buddy who passed away back in 2022.”
Examples of similar scams
Similar scams include messages warning about hacked accounts, fake charity pages, and phishing attempts. These scams operate much in the same way, taking advantage of people’s emotions and trust in social media.
How To Spot I Can’t Believe He’s Gone Scam
- The post is unclear about who passed away, unlike real posts that mention the person’s name.
- The story of their death sounds exaggerated or unrealistic.
- When you ask for more details, the responses seem generic or avoid specifics.
- The link doesn’t lead to a legit website but directs you to a fake Facebook.com site, asking for login information. Genuine links would lead to a news story or fundraiser page.
What To Do If Click On Suspicious Links
- Immediately close the website or video. The longer you stay, the higher the risk, so exit quickly.
- Use your antivirus program to run a virus scan.
- Check for malware like trojan horses or spyware that scammers might have installed.
- Change your Facebook password promptly
- Be vigilant for any signs of compromise.
Conclusion
If you get a message on Facebook that says, “look who died or I Can’t Believe He’s Gone” — don’t click that link or it’ll be your own account that perishes. Clicking on this bad link can put a virus on your computer or phone. This allows the hacker to get your personal info and makes your device slow. The hacker might also access your Facebook profile, sending the same messages to your friends, continuing the hacking.
Beware of these Facebook scams: Someone tried to login to your account, Look who died in an accident.